Te Lafu Island Chain

Passport validity requirements

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

Cook Islands 

Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you plan to leave the Cook Islands and have at least 2 blank pages.

Tokelau

To enter Tokelau, your passport must meet the validity requirements for travel to Samoa – see travel advice for Samoa. All travel to Tokelau is by ship from Apia, Samoa. You can email the Tokelau Apia Liaison Office: contact@tokelaunso.tk

Niue

Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Cook Islands and have at least 2 blank pages.

Dual nationals

When returning to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. See Dual citizenship.

Visa requirements

Cook Islands 

You can visit the Cook Islands without a visa for up to 31 days. If you’re staying longer, you may need a visa or entry on arrival permit. See visitor information from the Cook Islands government. You can get monthly Cook Islands visa extensions for a total stay of 5 months. You must apply at least 2 weeks before your visa or permit expires.

Tokelau

To visit Tokelau, you must get permission from the Tokelau council (‘Taupulega’) before you travel and buy boat tickets from the Tokelau office in Samoa. See visitor information from the Tokelau government and travel advice for Samoa. 

Niue

You can visit Niue without a visa for up to 30 days. If you’re staying longer, you may need visa. Email Niue’s immigration department for information: immigration.niue@mail.gov.nu  

Sea travel from the Cook Islands

If you plan to join a tourist boat, yacht or other sea-going vessel to travel from the Cook Islands, you must apply for permission to enter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.

Checks at border control

To enter the Cook Islands or Niue, you must have:

• a ticket for onward or return travel
• a visa for the next country you’re travelling to
• proof of accommodation during your stay in the Cook Islands or Niue

To enter Tokelau, contact the Tokelau government office for their requirements.

Vaccine requirements

To enter Niue, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk.

For full details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue guide.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of:

• the Cook Islands
• Tokelau
• Niue – for information on customs in Niue, email: immigration.niue@mail.gov.nu

You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

Taking money into Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue

You must declare any currency if the value is 10,000 New Zealand dollars or more.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of:

• the Cook Islands
• Tokelau
• Niue – for information on customs in Niue, email: immigration.niue@mail.gov.nu

You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

Taking money into Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue

You must declare any currency if the value is 10,000 New Zealand dollars or more.

Emergency services in the Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue

Telephone: 999 (ambulance, fire, police)

There are no hospitals or ambulance services in Tokelau.

Contact your travel provider and insurer

Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do.

Refunds and changes to travel

For refunds or changes to travel, contact your travel provider. You may also be able to make a claim through insurance. However, insurers usually require you to talk to your travel provider first.

Find out more about changing or cancelling travel plans, including:

• where to get advice if you are in a dispute with a provider
• how to access previous versions of travel advice to support a claim

Support from FCDO

FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including:

• getting help if you’re a victim of crime
• what to do if you’re in hospital
• if you’re affected by a crisis, such as a terrorist attack

Contacting FCDO

Help abroad  

See how to get help from the UK government abroad including in an emergency. 

Help in the UK  

You can call FCDO in London if you need urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad.  

Telephone: 020 7008 5000 (24 hours)  

Find out about call charges

Get travel advice updates  

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.  

Follow FCDO: 

• travel advice on X

• travel advice on Facebook

Before you travel

No travel can be guaranteed safe. Read all the advice in this guide. You may also find it helpful to: 

• see general advice for women travellers
• read our guide on disability and travel abroad
• see general advice for LGBT+ travellers
• read about safety for solo and independent travel
• see advice on volunteering and adventure travel abroad

Travel insurance

If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.

About FCDO travel advice

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides advice about risks of travel to help you make informed decisions. Find out more about FCDO travel advice.

Get travel advice updates

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated. 

Follow FCDO:   

• travel advice on X

• travel advice on Facebook

• Travel Aware on Instagram

Laws and cultural differences

Illegal drugs and prison sentences

There are severe penalties for possessing or importing even small amounts of drugs, including deportation and imprisonment.

LGBT+ travellers

Same-sex sexual activity is not illegal. However, showing affection in public may be considered offensive.

Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers.

Accessing money

In the Cook Islands, the only ATMs are on the islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Credit and some debit cards are widely accepted on Rarotonga and some places on Aitutaki. You must use cash on the other islands.

There are no banks in Tokelau, so you’ll need to bring cash with you.

In Niue, most businesses accept New Zealand debit cards, Mastercard and Visa. Some businesses offer cashback. There are no ATMs in Niue, but you can withdraw cash from Kiwibank in Alofi. Kiwibank accepts only New Zealand debit cards, Mastercard and Visa.